


Fireworks and Constellations

by disloyalorderoftrash



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, alcohol mention, i already posted it but it disappeared somehow?, it's also really dumb i'm sorry i'm trying my best, my favourite au, plantboy!phil and spaceboy!dan, so if it shows up twice sorry, the purest thing i have ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 15:43:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6572077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disloyalorderoftrash/pseuds/disloyalorderoftrash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>plantboy!Phil and spaceboy!Dan meet at a New Year's Eve party and escape to the roof together to look at the stars and fireworks (whilst cuddling)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fireworks and Constellations

My reflection looks as exhausted as I am feeling. It takes me a moment of concentration until my face comes into clear focus in the mirror. I may have had a little more alcohol than I originally intended to, but I'm not drunk. I can still walk straight and talk without slurring the words. I just feel slightly dizzy and the people bother me less than they did when I was sober. I needed it because today, I am not in the mood for the amount of social interaction I have to put up with. 

The bathroom door shuts out most of the sounds of the party going on outside, but I can still hear the heavy bass of the music played in the living room and occasional excited shouts greeting the new year that hasn't even begun yet. 

I wash my hands, splash some cold water into my face and prepare myself mentally for returning to the inferno of celebration by emptying my half-full glass of champagne. 

In the hallway outside the bathroom I notice a tall potted plant. I must have passed it before without seeing it. It's a regular ficus tree, probably _ficus elastica_ , as I've seen it in many other households. A quick glance shows me that its soil is bone-dry. Shaking my head, I go back to the bathroom to fill my glass with water from the tap and pour it onto the soil. It takes me three walks from the bathroom to the plant until I decide that it is sufficiently watered. 

“They don't treat you well, do they?”, I mumble. “Why do these people even get a plant if they don't take care of it?” I touch the thick, rubbery leaves fleetingly. “I have to go back to the party. Bye, plant.” 

“Did you just talk to the plant?” 

I freeze in mid-movement and turn around slowly. A brown-haired boy in an oversized black sweater is standing in the hallway, looking at me with an expression of amusement on his face. 

I pretend to have misheard him. “Yes, I did water it. It was dry as the Sahara.” 

“That's not what I asked, but thanks anyway. It was sort of unnessecary though, since it's a fake plant.” 

“What?” I blink in confusion. “Fake?” 

“Yeah. A quite good fake though, I guess”, he says, running his hand over the leaves thoughtfully. “It looks and feels pretty real, doesn't it? I mean, it fooled you.” 

“But why would anyone get a fake plant instead of a real one?” 

“Because it would die”, he says and laughs. “None of us can take care of themsevles, let alone of another being.” 

“Oh, so you're one of the people who live in this flat”, I realise, feeling a little stupid. “Sorry. I didn't know. My friend dragged me here, he's friends with one of you. I didn't even want to go here, I'd much rather spend the night alone at home than with a million strangers, and the last time I saw my friend he seemed very busy with some girl and I don't want to interrupt them, so I have no one I know here to talk to and...” I notice that I am ranting to a total stranger. “I'm sorry, I guess I'll just go back in there...” I look in the direction of the living room where all the noise is coming from and sigh. 

“No, no, it's okay”, the boy says. “I feel you, this party wasn't my idea, I'm not a fan of that kind of mass gathering either. I spent the evening locked in my room with my laptop until now, but I wanted to... Wanna come with me?” 

“What? Where?” 

He gives me a dazzling smile. “You'll see.” 

“Okay”, I say and shrug. He doesn't look like a serial killer, and I decide to trust him. 

He grabs my hand and leads me through the hallway. His hand is warm and dry but soft. The touch feels strangely comfortable. 

“What's your name, anyway?”, he asks me. “Or should I just call you Weird Guy Who Talks To Plants?” 

“Ha. Very funny.” 

“Oh, come on. I think it's adorable. And just a little crazy.” He turns around to smile at me. 

“My name's Phil.” We're walking up a staircase now. 

“Hi, Phil. Nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but I'm already holding it. I'm Dan.” 

“Hi, Dan.” 

“We're almost there”, he announces and unlocks the door we are standing at with a key from his pocket. “Normally it isn't locked, but I didn't want any of the drunk party people to go up here.” 

“But I am a drunk party people”, I say. 

“You're my exception for today.” He grins, and he is shamelessly flirting with me now, isn't he? 

He pushes the door open. We both step outside, my hand still in his. Cold night air greets us. We are standing on the roof terrace of the house, city lights around and below, the night sky above us. I take in the view of London at night, a million colourful lights, the cars driving through the streets, people celebrating the new year. Up here, I feel strangely detached from everyone except the person holding my hand. 

“Isn't it amazing up here?”, Dan asks, tugging at my hand. 

“Yes, it is”, I agree. He is smiling widely, excitement in his eyes. 

“Look up”, he orders. 

I obey. The sky isn't clear tonight, but in spite of the mist and the clouds occasionally obscuring the sight, I can see stars, lots of stars, and the moon. It is almost full and bathing the rooftop in its silvery light. 

“It's not a good night”, Dan admits. “Sometimes the sky is so clear you can see the milky way! It's so beautiful. I wish there was no light pollution”, he says and sighs. “We could see _so much more_ of space.” 

“That would be nice.” The most fascinating part right now is watching him talk about it passionately. 

“We don't have to stand, you know.” Without letting go of my hand, he walks over the terrace to a lounger covered in cushions and blankets. “This is where I spend most of my free time when the weather is good enough”, he says, sitting down on the edge of the lounger. “Mostly the evenings, of course. I could spend all my life looking at the clear night sky.” 

He lies down to get a better view of the sky. I follow his lead. The lounger is large, but both of us are tall, so we are forced to lie close next to each other. The situation should be weird, uncomfortable even, but somehow, it is not. I have never met this boy before, I barely know more than his name, and yet I feel completely fine with lying next to him and stargazing. It must be the magic of New Year's Eve, or maybe just the alcohol in my blood. 

“Can you name any constellations?”, I ask. 

“Of course I can.” He sounds almost indignant that I dared to ask this question. “Look, over there, that's Orion. You probably know him. Everyone does, he's like the... star of constellations.” 

I turn my head to see him looking at me expectantly. “No”, I say. 

“Oh, come on, laugh at my puns”, he pouts and punches me softly. 

I grimace and smile. “Okay, actually it was kind of funny.” 

“Ha, I knew it.” He grins and turns his eyes on the sky again. “But in fact I prefer making up my own constellations.” 

“Your own constellations?” 

“Mhmm. I mean, the old ones were invented by people looking at the sky and being like, oh, this looks like a lion or whatever. There's no deeper reason. They can look like anything if you connect them in the right way.” 

“You're right, I've never thought about that”, I say thoughtfully. 

“I love it. I don't know how many times I've fallen asleep up here, looking at the stars and joining the dots. Once, it was raining and I woke up soaked and freezing. I got pneumonia and had to be treated in a hospital. It wasn't even worth it, you couldn't see anything because of the clouds.” 

“Why did you stay, then? You could've died!” I know it's unnecessary to worry about it now because he obviously survived, but that doesn't stop me. 

“Yeah, I know. I was in a rather bad mood because my boyfriend had cheated on me.” 

My heart skips a beat at the word “boyfriend”. It doesn't surprise me, due to him holding my hand and very obviously flirting with me, but it still excites me. I clear my throat. 

“Your boyfriend?” 

“Now my ex, obviously. That happened a couple months ago.” He points at the sky, obviously not wanting to talk about it. “Here, this looks like a dog, doesn't it? Can you see it?” 

I follow the movements of his finger. “With a lot of fantasy, yes.” 

“That's the point. It's all about using your fantasy.” 

I let my gaze wander over the few visible stars, drawing lines between them in my head. “That's the other dog.” I outline it with my hands. “Do you see him? They're friends.” 

“You're cute”, Dan says. I can hear the smile in his voice. 

“That makes two of us”, I reply. 

“Oh, smooth.” He giggles. Moving a little closer to me, he says, “I'm cold.” 

“Do you want to go back inside?”, I ask, hoping he doesn't. 

“No.” 

We lie in silence until he begins to move his feet, almost kicking me off the couch. 

“Hey, stop that”, I complain. “I'm gonna fall down. What are you doing?” 

“Trying to get the blanket”, he says. “It's lying there, at our feet.” 

“How about you just stand up and get it?” 

“Don't want to get up.” 

I sigh and sit up, reaching for the blanket and covering both of us in it. Almost instinctively, I put my arm around Dan's shoulders when I lie down again, pulling him closer to me. 

“This is so nice”, he mumbles. 

We are completely silent, feeling each other's warmth beneath the blanket, breathing synchronous. A crack and bang interrupt the silence. 

“That's the firework constellation”, I comment. “People born under this sign are usually impatient and always come too early.” 

He laughs quietly. “Was that an innuendo?” 

“Oh, come on. You know what I meant.” 

“Hmm. It's not midnight yet though, right? What time is it?” 

“I don't know.” To reach for my phone in my back pocket, I would have to untangle myself from Dan, and I don't want to do that. “We'd have heard it.” 

“Probably.” He hums quietly to himself. _Old Lang Syne_. “So you're starting the new year single, too?”, he asks suddenly. 

“I don't think I'd be here with you if I wasn't”, I state. 

“Thought so. So you're not taken?” 

“No, as I said.” 

“Have a crush on anyone?” 

I hesitate and say, “Yes.” 

“Oh.” He sounds disappointed. I can feel him moving a few inches away from me. 

“They're lying next to me right now.” 

“ _Oh_.” He shakes his head and giggles. “You're being smooth as hell again.” 

“I know.” 

He turns his head towards me. In silence, we look at each other, noses and foreheads almost touching, our breath mixing. Down in the streets, the masses are getting louder. Someone starts a countdown. 

“Twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen...” People join in, shouting the last seconds of the last year together. 

Dan smiles and closes his eyes. 

“Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven...” 

He opens them again, locking eyes with me. I raise my hand to brush a stray lock of hair out of his face. 

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...” 

I can feel his breath on my lips, slightly erratic. 

“Five, four...” The chant is getting louder and louder. 

At “three”, he closes the gap between our lips. As the fireworks erupt around us, he kisses me softly, sending warm waves through my body despite the cold. He tastes of wine, a little bit of vanilla, and of hope. 

When we break apart, the air is misty and smells of fireworks. We are both smiling. 

“Happy new year”, I whisper. 

“Happy new year.” 

We look at the fireworks illuminating the sky in every possible colour and formation. I think of the people down there. How many couples just kissed? How many people are watching the fireworks on their own, hoping for a better year than the last? 

“I never thought I'd get a new year's kiss today”, I say after a while. 

“Me neither.” 

“Other people that are single hook up with strangers they just met. And then there's us, stargazing together.” I laugh to myself. 

“It's so much nicer, isn't it?”, he says quietly. 

“Probably.” Even though I don't admit it, it might be the most intimate feeling I have ever shared with a stranger. 

He cuddles up to me closer, eyes closed. “I'm kind of tired.” 

“Me too. You can sleep if you want to.” 

“Just promise me...” He hesitates. “Promise me you'll still be here in the morning.” 

“I will stay. I promise.” 

“And...” He sounds definitely sleepy now. “Will we meet again?” 

“Yes. If you want to, I mean.” 

“Let's make this our new year's resolution”, he suggests. 

I smile. “Alright. Probably the only resolution I will ever keep.” 

“Good. That's good”, he mumbles. 

I lean down to place a fleeting kiss on his forehead as he slowly drifts away into sleep, eyes closed, breathing evenly. I hold him close and watch the fireworks until I fall asleep myself.


End file.
